Effect of Essential Oil Mixture of Selected Medicinal Plants on Growth Performance, Antibody Titre and Hematological Profile in Male Broiler Chicken Fed Antibiotics-free Rations

Abstract

The effect of feeding antibiotics-free ration supplemented with Pimpinella anisum, Nigella sativa seeds and Thymus vulgaris leaves oil mixture on vaccinated and non-vaccinated male broilers was studied. An experiment of 4 dietary treatments of 4 replicates X 30 chicks each, was conducted on Lohman male broilers from 1 to 42 days of age. The addition of medicinal plants oil mixture to the antibiotics-free ration significantly improved live body weight (BW), body weight gain (BWG) and feed conversion ratio (FCR) of vaccinated male broilers at 42 days of age. Dietary oil mixture increased Heterophils, lymphocytes and Monocytes of vaccinated male boilers at 42 days of age. No significant differences were detected from the addition of 0.2% oil mixture to the antibiotics-free ration on WBC's, RBC's, and Hct count of vaccinated and non-vaccinated male broilers at 42 days of age. Addition of oil mixture to the antibiotics-free ration of VMB increased antibody titer (Ab's) against Newcastle, infectious bronchitis and infectious bursal disease at 42 days of age. Meanwhile, significant differences were detected in Ab's titer against infections bronchitis of non-vaccinated male broilers at 42 days of age as a result of oil mixture addition. These findings suggest that Pimpinella anisum, Nigella sativa seeds and Thymus vulgaris oil mixture had a positive effect on male broilers performance and immunity, but, further researches are needed to confirm these findings.